Quintiles Global Central Laboratory Network Sets New Standard

Argentina facility latest among nine sites on five continents to earn CAP designation

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – March 11, 2009 – Quintiles Transnational Corp. reached a milestone as its central laboratory in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was accredited recently by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), giving Quintiles the largest CAP-accredited central laboratory network in the world and setting a standard for patient safety and faster drug development.

During this rigorous CAP accreditation process, conducted every two years, a team of practicing laboratory professionals performs an on-site evaluation, examining records and quality control, staff qualifications, equipment, safety, and overall lab management. Going beyond regulatory standards, CAP accreditation is intended to improve patient safety by advancing the quality of pathology and laboratory services.

All Quintiles central labs are now CAP accredited – wholly owned facilities in China, India, Singapore, Scotland, South Africa and the United States, and subcontractor labs in Argentina, Brazil and Japan. This laboratory network is one of the most modern in the world. In April 2008, the U.S. lab in the Atlanta area relocated to a new building and was CAP reaccredited. Quintiles central lab in Mumbai, India, opened in early 2007, and later this year, central labs in Scotland and Singapore will move to new complexes.

By performing key central laboratory functions on five continents, Quintiles has increased the time for investigators to interact with patients, decreased transportation costs, reduced concerns about import/export permits, provided local investigator site support and enhanced sample stability.

Latin America, with more than 550 million people in 21 countries, is one of the fastest-growing regions of the world for clinical trials. To meet customer needs, Quintiles operates the Buenos Aires lab with subcontractor Centralab using on-site Quintiles staff and equipment coupled with Centralab technicians and instrumentation. Additionally, Quintiles has a company owned support facility nearby. These sites work in tandem to provide testing, project management and logistical support; study-specific laboratory kits for sites; local investigator support and samples management; and storage and processing – all to global standards.

“The Argentina lab allows Quintiles to quickly process samples from the region and accelerate development timelines,” said Marina Travacio, Associate Director, Central Lab Services, Latin America. “CAP accreditation validates the high-quality central lab services we offer in Argentina and at each of our sites around the world.”

Quintiles Transnational Corp. helps bring new medicines to market and peak sales faster by providing innovative, high-quality development, partnerships and commercialization solutions to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. With more than 22,000 employees and offices in more than 50 countries, Quintiles is focused on providing customer-centric solutions that are the gold standard of the industry. For more information, please visit the company’s Web site at www.quintiles.com.